Opportunity of a century unfolds for the capital, Stuttgart

It is the opportunity of a century for the capital, Stuttgart: to redesign the city at its very heart. On completion of the restructuring of the railway hub and the launching of Stuttgart 21, an area of around one hundred hectares will be available for development. It is a unique urban development opportunity of which other major metropolises worldwide can only dream. Many ideas, concepts and plans have been tabled for what is called the Rosensteinquartier project north of the main railway station since this major project was first presented: it is to be a district in which living, working and the pursuit of leisure activities can peacefully co-exist on an equal footing. There are to be attractive public squares and institutions like a Schlossgarten open-air philharmonic concert area at the Bonatzbau to spark urban development aimed at breathing new life into the city, or a new building for the Lindenmuseum as a museum devoted to world cultures.

Under the aegis of Stuttgart’s mayor, Fritz Kuhn, a participatory procedure was launched to pool the many ideas and give townspeople and inhabitants of the region a say in the design of the new inner-city district. The venture resulted in a rich abundance of ideas: citizens would like a lot of green belts, individuality and diversity in the new residential area, meadows, streams and pools, communal gardens and open spaces for creative minds. The public space is to become a living room for all, with unique historic feats of railway engineering preserved and designated for new uses.

The ‘Grüne Mitte’ – Stuttgart’s first 21st-century district

And, with the aim of answering the fascinating question of how people in the metropolitan region of Stuttgart would like to live in 20, 30 or 40 years’ time, Stuttgart council commissioned the administration to put forward their candidacy for the 2027 International Building Exhibition (IBA). The exhibition is to focus on the Rosensteinquartier by presenting and experimenting with new solution approaches in order to find the answers to problems that challenge all major urban conurbations worldwide. However, the city hall and mayor Kuhn share the opinion that the districts around the former Eiermann Campus in Vaihingen or Neckarpark in Bad Cannstatt also offer thrilling prospects of further enhancing Stuttgart’s image as a “green city”.